Ford says it'sthe Focus compact, with the smaller Fiesta positioned right behind to bethe best seller in its class. There's only one day left in the salesyear, so Ford apparently feels safe in making the call.

Worldwide, Ford says there were 737,856 Focuses registered through September. Fiesta was at 560,061.

Focusis a breakthrough vehicle for Ford, which used to make separate modelsunder the same name for Europe and U.S. Now the same vehicle is sold inboth places, and around the world, giving a huge cost saving to theautomaker. That's important considering the switch to small cars hurtsautomakers' bottom lines because they charge more for larger vehiclesthat don't cost that much more to make.

"Focus and Fiestarepresent the best of our 'One Ford' plan," said Jim Farley, Ford'sexecutive vice president, Global Marketing, Sales and Service andLincoln. "In just three years, Ford has transformed our global small carlineup and started winning over customers worldwide with vehicles thatare not only fun-to-drive but also fuel-efficient - largely thanks toour award-winning EcoBoost engines."